EcoEngineers Request for Proposals

Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative Farmer-Led Climate Smart Commodities Initiative: Building Success from the Ground Up Project

Managed and Administered by EcoEngineers

Overview

EcoEngineers (Eco) is requesting proposals from a well-qualified organization or individual to support its work with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative (Edge) on developing Climate-Smart Commodities (The Project). The Project is supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities sub-award from Edge. This Request for Proposals is open to all qualified organizations and individuals.

The overarching goal of the Project is to provide the needed technical support so that farmers can lead the development of climate-smart commodities on their farms. The Project will work with processors and the supply chain to understand how on-farm measurement and reporting align with industry environmental goals and allow for creating climate-smart commodities and/or carbon offsets.

Background

Eco is an industry leader in Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) and carbon valuation. As part of the Edge Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities sub-award, Eco will provide insight and guidance on the formation of carbon credits and will establish data collection and reporting protocols that meet the requirements of compliance and voluntary carbon markets. This technical support will allow farmers to collaborate with their partners and supply chain to develop climate-smart commodities on their farms.

The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare and submit a proposal to provide oversight, guidance, and subject matter expertise on liquidity and trading concerns for farmer-originated carbon credits that are not absorbed within the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) system of a party in the supply chain.

Eco intends to establish a contract with the successful applicant. Eco will select the successful applicant based on their expertise and plans for providing the services below.

In addition to providing the services described below, the successful applicant must also be able to abide by the terms and conditions of the overall USDA award, insurance requirements, and outcome deliverables described herein.

Scope of Work

Eco seeks a qualified applicant to provide the following services. Interested parties may choose to separate the objectives below and bid only on those that they feel comfortable achieving.

1. Topic: Commodity Trading (trends, history, tradability, liquidity, and volume)
   1. Assess current environmental commodity finance practices and market expectations for commoditized natural-solution-originated greenhouse gas (GHG) credits from U.S. Midwest farming practices. Identify barriers to liquidity and entry (both farmer participation and capital market participation) and potential solutions.
2.  Topic: Policy (government and corporate)
   1. Assess legal, financial, and corporate underpinnings and expectations for sustainability metrics and environmental attribute instruments within the voluntary/ESG-derived markets as they relate to commoditized natural-solution-originated GHG credits from U.S. Midwest farming practices.
   2. Assess related/expected regulatory impacts on GHG management and the implications of such on farm-based natural-solution efforts (carbon origination and credits).
   3. Translate potential U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure (CSRD) requirements as they may apply to national and international dairy policy and practices.

Deliverables

Service Partners will provide the following services:

1. Deliverables will be in the format of written reports with an agreed-upon outline and timeline by Eco and the partner.
2. Valid references for all applicable statements, charts, graphs, visuals, etc.
3. Commitment to attend regular check-in meetings as agreed on by Eco and the partner.

Required Expertise

The successful applicant will have significant expertise in the following areas, with preference given to an individual or organization that can provide all or most of the expertise required:

Environmental commodity markets, ESG reporting and assurance, international climate disclosure requirements, U.S. agriculture and dairy industry practices, climate finance, climate policies, and climate risk analysis.

Evaluation Criteria

Submittals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Submission Requirements

• Proposals should be submitted via email to ClientServices@ecoengineers.us by the due date. Proposals should not exceed five pages, excluding attachments.
• Proposals must be provided in Word format or searchable PDF with a font size no smaller than 11 pt, and should include:
  • Contact Information: Primary contact person, company name, address, phone number, email, website, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, and Employer Identification Number (EIN)/taxpayer identification number.
  • Experience and qualifications: A description of your qualifications (not to exceed one page).
  • Biographies: Resumes of key staff and their role in the proposed work (not to exceed three pages).
  • Work Examples: Summaries of past projects that demonstrate your experience and qualifications to complete the services described in this request (not to exceed five pages).
  • References: Provide three client references (name, organization, title, phone number, email) that are connected to work examples and experience needed to complete the services described in this request.
  • Budget: Provide an estimate of the total cost needed to complete the deliverables in the scope of services described above. The budget estimate should not exceed one page.

Selection Procedures

A panel of Eco staff and external reviewers will review the proposal. Only one award will be made for this request. Subcontractors are discouraged. Selection does not guarantee that a contract will be executed for the completion of the work. Eco reserves the right to negotiate an acceptable contract with the chosen applicant. If a contract cannot be negotiated, Eco reserves the right to move on to the next best-qualified applicant.

Timeline